Province to spend $85.9M buying 12 schools it currently leases

The province will spend $85.9 million to buy 12 of the 13 schools it currently leases from Scotia Learning Centres, a price tag the Department of Education says is cheaper than continuing with the lease agreements.

• Extending P3 school leases for 8 months to cost $1.5M

The province will wait until 2020 to buy the schools because the lease agreement doesn't expire until then. Most of the schools are in the Halifax area.

One of the schools owned by Scotia Learning Schools, Pictou Elementary, is currently under a school review process and could, potentially, close.

No decision on whether to buy back that school will be made untilJune 30,2017. As for the 26 otherschools the province leases from other developers, the province saidit's still in negotiations.

Here are the schools that will be bought:

• Lockview High School, Halifax Regional School Board
• St. Margarets Bay Elementary School, Halifax Regional School Board
• Madeline Symonds Middle School, Halifax Regional School Board
• Park West School, Halifax Regional School Board
• Portland Estates Elementary School, Halifax Regional School Board
• Ridgecliff Middle School, Halifax Regional School Board
• Sackville Heights Elementary School, Halifax Regional School Board
• Bedford South School, Halifax Regional School Board
• Eastern Passage Education Centre, Halifax Regional School Board
• Ecole Beaubassin, Conseil scolaire acadien provincial
• Ecole Bois Joli, Conseil scolaire acadien provincial
• Enfield District School, Chignecto-Central Regional School Board